Client, Year

Bromo Arts District, 2023-2024

Services

Brand Audit
Brand Positioning
Brand Architecture
Brand Stories
Messaging & Tone
Logos & Marks
Identity Development
Brand Systems

Brand Guidelines

Copywriting

Brand Launch

Campaign
Social Media
Brand Applications

Awards / Press

Photography

Bromo Arts District

Identity powered by creativity

Bromo Arts District is an expansive, eclectic arts district in downtown Baltimore. While beloved for its artists and annual events, it battled misperceptions and lacked a consistent brand presence. Ashton partnered with Bromo to rebrand the district, then supplied it with high-impact, easy-to-use tools to showcase its distinct identity and boost support, both in person and online.

As the district itself is an experiment in self-realization and creation, it only made sense that we crafted Bromo’s logo from a custom-drawn typeface. Complementing it with a sleek sans serif grounds the geometric forms and communicates the community’s contemporary sensibility.

The blunt, block shapes of the letters can be easily stacked in ways to mimic district landmarks. For instance, the circle iteration looks like the clock face of the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower, a beloved architectural icon in the neighborhood.

The logo’s simplicity and clarity helps it remain readable when turned on its side. Oriented vertically, it acts as a stand-in for the district, which is built along North Howard Street’s north-south axis.

Setting the text of Bromo and Arts District in opposing directions nods to how the artistic community expands across downtown from this central core.

Whenever possible, we positioned artists’ artwork front and center to emphasize Bromo’s support of its homegrown talent. Even the brand’s distinctive color palette was informed by murals painted throughout the district. In sum, the elements create a kaleidoscopic feel that amplifies Bromo’s dynamic identity, drives interest in its artists, and attracts new visitors.

We developed a custom icon system to notate Bromo’s range of experiences. When scaled up, their distinct shapes create windows into the lives and happenings of various artists and spaces.

We also applied the logo’s custom typeface to Bromo’s highest attended biannual event, Bromo Art Walk. The consistency between the parent brand and the subbrand reinforces that the district is available to visitors not only during Art Walk, but 365 days a year. To drive this point home, we launched the new brand at the Fall 2024 Art Walk for maximum community exposure.

All promo deliverables were built as templates, allowing each edition of Art Walk to feature a new roster of artists while strengthening brand awareness.

Social media assets were also templated to maximize brand consistency and boost public familiarity. The bold look is designed to interrupt endless scrolling and encourage engagement. All templates were built in Canva, making them easy to update by any Bromo team member.

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PO Box 50337, Balt., MD 21211

©2024 Ashton Design

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